Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan.
Behavioural Ecology Research Group, School of Life Sciences, Anglia Ruskin University, Cambridge, UK.
Am J Primatol. 2020 Aug;82(8):e23160. doi: 10.1002/ajp.23160. Epub 2020 Jun 18.
Genetic diversity provides populations with the possibility to persist in ever-changing environments, where selective regimes change over time. Therefore, the long-term survival of a population may be affected by its level of genetic diversity. The Mexican howler monkey (Alouatta palliata mexicana) is a critically endangered primate restricted to southeast Mexico. Here, we evaluate the genetic diversity and population structure of this subspecies based on 83 individuals from 31 groups sampled across the distribution range of the subspecies, using 29 microsatellite loci. Our results revealed extremely low genetic diversity (H = 0.21, H = 0.29) compared to studies of other A. palliata populations and to other Alouatta species. Principal component analysis, a Bayesian clustering method, and analyses of molecular variance did not detect strong signatures of genetic differentiation among geographic populations of this subspecies. Although we detect small but significant F values between populations, they can be explained by a pattern of isolation by distance. These results and the presence of unique alleles in different populations highlight the importance of implementing conservation efforts in multiple populations across the distribution range of A. p. mexicana to preserve its already low genetic diversity. This is especially important given current levels of population isolation due to the extreme habitat fragmentation across the distribution range of this primate.
遗传多样性为种群提供了在不断变化的环境中生存的可能性，在这些环境中，选择机制随时间而变化。因此，种群的长期生存可能会受到其遗传多样性水平的影响。墨西哥吼猴（Alouatta palliata mexicana）是一种极度濒危的灵长类动物，仅分布在墨西哥东南部。在这里，我们评估了该亚种的遗传多样性和种群结构，该亚种基于从该亚种分布范围内的 31 个群体中采集的 83 个个体，使用了 29 个微卫星位点。我们的研究结果表明，与其他 A. palliata 种群和其他 Alouatta 物种的研究相比，该亚种的遗传多样性极低（H = 0.21，H = 0.29）。主成分分析、贝叶斯聚类方法和分子方差分析并未检测到该亚种地理种群之间存在强烈的遗传分化迹象。尽管我们在种群之间检测到了小但显著的 F 值，但它们可以用隔离距离模式来解释。这些结果以及不同种群中独特等位基因的存在，突出了在 A. p. mexicana 的分布范围内的多个种群中实施保护工作的重要性，以保护其已经很低的遗传多样性。考虑到这种灵长类动物分布范围内的极端生境破碎化导致目前种群隔离水平较高，这一点尤为重要。
